Knowra Tea Tea Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves of Camellia sinensis in water. Its varieties differ chiefly through leaf processing, growing conditions, and preparation.
Camellia sinensis : An evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and buds are processed to make tea. All true tea comes from this plant, including green, black, and oolong varieties.
Green tea : Tea made from leaves heated soon after harvest to limit enzymatic oxidation. Its minimal oxidation preserves a profile distinct from darker teas.
Shennong : A legendary Chinese culture hero associated with agriculture, medicine, and the discovery of tea. Traditional accounts credit him with discovering tea, though the story is legendary.
Boston Tea Party : A 1773 protest in which American colonists destroyed tea cargoes in Boston Harbor to oppose British policies. Tea became the target of a protest that escalated conflict between Britain and its colonies.
Tea processing : The sequence of withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying used to turn tea leaves into finished products. Processing determines the oxidation and shape that distinguish major tea styles.
Black tea : Tea made from leaves that undergo extensive enzymatic oxidation before drying. Extensive oxidation gives this widely consumed tea its characteristic dark infusion.
Tea in China : The cultivation, preparation, and cultural history of tea within China, where its use is documented early. Chinese traditions shaped tea processing and many forms of preparation.
Opium Wars : Two nineteenth-century conflicts between Qing China and Britain, followed by a war involving France, over trade and sovereignty. Tea trade imbalances formed part of the wider commercial setting for British opium policy.
Tea oxidation : Enzymatic reactions that alter compounds in tea leaves after their cells are disrupted and exposed to oxygen. Its degree helps distinguish green, oolong, and black tea.
Oolong : A traditional Chinese tea category whose leaves are partially oxidized, between green and black tea. Its broad range of oxidation levels produces especially varied styles.
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